Introducing the Vande Bharat Sleeper Version: Innovative Features Revealed
The Vande Bharat sleeper version of the train will be running on the tracks from March onwards. Central Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had shared 7 concept pictures of this train on social media on October 3rd at 9:44 PM. The caption read – “The Vande Bharat Sleeper Version is arriving soon in a short time… in the beginning of 2024.
The AC-2 and AC-3 tier coaches, equipped with world-class features, will have lighting on the roof and a 5-step ladder for climbing onto the berth. In the coming year, there is a possibility of running 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains.
Currently, the Vande Bharat train is running with sleeper coach facilities in the country. Indian Railways is planning to operate Vande Bharat trains on the route of the Rajdhani Express. In such a scenario, providing sleeper coaches is essential to offer passengers a comfortable overnight journey.
On Saturday, September 16, the General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Mr. BG Malya, announced that the Vande Bharat sleeper version will be launched in this financial year, which means it could be launched between 2023-24. The Vande Metro is also in progress and could be launched in the same financial year.
Malya mentioned that the sleeper version of Vande Bharat train is currently under development and is scheduled to be launched in March 2024. This train, with 12 coaches, will operate on a shorter route starting in January.
The non-AC version of Vande Bharat train will also be launched. It is scheduled to be launched on October 31st of this year. This non-AC push-pull train will consist of 22 coaches and will feature a locomotive at both ends.
The Speed of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train will be 160 kilometers per hour.
The construction of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train is a consortium effort involving two companies, namely Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Russia’s TMH Group. This consortium had initially placed orders for 120 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains out of a total of 200 required. The remaining 80 trains will be supplied by Titagarh Wagons and BHEL consortium.
RVNL’s GM (Mechanical), Alok Kumar Mishra, had stated in August that the Vande Bharat Sleeper train will have a speed of 160 kilometers per hour and will consist of 16 coaches, including 11 AC3, four AC2, and one AC1 coach. He also mentioned that the number of coaches could be increased to 20 or 24.
The first Vande Bharat train Started Running on February 15, 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the launch of the 75 Vande Bharat Express during his speech at the Red Fort on August 15, 2018. The inaugural run of the first Vande Bharat train took place on February 15, 2019. Since then, a total of 25 Vande Bharat trains have been put into operation.
